How to Install the Back Brakes on a Ford Taurus

Standard rear brakes on the Ford Taurus were drum style, using twin shoes to apply friction to the inside of the drum surface. The friction stops the car. When the driver releases the brakes, the shoes retract away from the drum by springs. The shoes, springs, and drum are all regular maintenance items and can take the average backyard mechanic about thirty minutes to replace.

Instructions

1

Loosen the lug nuts on the rear tire on one side of the car. Do so with the lug wrench, turning counterclockwise.

2

Raise the rear of the car with the floor jack on the same side that you loosened the rear tire lugs, placing the jack head onto a frame rail toward the rear of the car, never on the body or suspension. Place a jack stand under the frame rail near the jack head for support.

3

Remove the wheel by removing the lug nuts completely, by turning counterclockwise. Pull the wheel from the hub and set it and the lug nuts aside.

4

Remove the drum by pulling it free of the hub, or turning the keeper screw counterclockwise. The drum will slide off of the brake assembly, exposing the shoes and internal workings.

5

Remove the shoes by levering off the long springs with a screwdriver, then turning the primary spring bolts counterclockwise. The shoes will slide directly away from the backing plate. Take this opportunity to inspect the wheel cylinder for leaks.

6

Replace the shoes by pressing them into place, then turning the spring bolt clockwise. Reattach the long springs using the screwdriver, levering them onto the hooks.

7

Resurface the drum material or use a new unit, and place it into position by sliding it over the shoes and brake assembly. Attach the keeper screw clockwise, if applicable.

8

Replace the wheel onto the hub. Replace the lug nuts and tighten hand tight by turning all lug nuts clockwise, with an alternating pattern. Tighten the lug nuts with the lug wrench in an alternating pattern--start with one nut, then skip the next in sequence, tightening the third, then the fifth, then the second, then the fourth. Do it all over again until all nuts are tight. Slide the jack stand away from the car. :Lower the vehicle by turning the floor jack's pressure screw counterclockwise.

9

Repeat the entire procedure on the opposite brake.